Power Struggle
by Heyitsmee
Summary: Naruto and Sasuke both leave the village after the war. Nine years later, things are...different to say the least. Team Seven fic. Canon till the end of the war.
1. Chapter 1

Haruno Sakura was a leader, even if she did not know it herself. Her leadership qualities weren't the most obvious kind, apparent the way that they were in Uzumaki Naruto, nor were they the underhanded techniques that Uchiha Sasuke favored, but she had the spark, the potential, that if fully utilized could easily put her on the same footing as her childhood teammates.

These hidden qualities first came to light during _the war,_ when during the battle Sakura, _ordinary, average, not great_ Sakura was able to ignite hope within her comrades in face of Naruto's injury.

" _If we're all going to die, we might as well go down fighting"_ She had yelled, fearless despite the situation and her words had given her fellow shinobi _**hope.**_

And then the girl, the teenage girl with no family line, no demon to help her, had gone on and held her own during the battle, she ended up playing a big role in ending _the war_ in their favor.

Furthermore, after her teammates _left_ the village on a journey of self-discovery and healing, she stayed behind and put the needs of the village before her own.

Granted that no one could really blame Naruto or Sasuke for needing a little time away, it was hard to forget that it was Sakura that stuck around, it was Sakura that raised Konoha back to its former glory.

The battle scars were still visible, but Konoha was healing, largely due to her help.

And so, five years after the war ended, on the date that marked the end of _the war_ , no one residing in Konoha was surprised when Hatake Kakashi, fully backed by the Jonin Council, offered Sakura the position of the Seventh Hokage.

That is to say, no one but… Sakura.

Xxx

The twenty two year old jonin was bewildered to say the least. This wasn't the way she expected her day to go at all. Maybe it was a bad idea pulling a 30 hour shift right after a S rank mission, all the stress had made her delusional.

"I don't understand, I'm not Naruto" She blurted out feeling slightly mystified.

"Leave us" Kakashi motioned towards his council.

Sakura counted to 6 and the room was cleared leaving her alone in the Hokage's office. She was upto 46 when Kakashi spoke again.

"You're not Naruto, no. Naruto has been gone from the village for the past five years Sakura, and you…You have been here, where the citizens needed a leader like you the most. This village is your life now and you have become its heart."

"There wouldn't be a village if it wasn't for Naruto"

Kakashi shook his head "Noone is denying his contributions-"

"Contributions?!" She cut him off harshly "He put his life on the life for this village over and over again, and now- now you want to hand over his dream to someone else?! And me of all the people! As if I would even consider taking the position that is rightfully his. I can't believe-"

"Haruno" Kakashi murmured quietly "A little bit of respect is in order, I believe"

She stared at him in shock before stiffly apologizing "Gomen, Hokage Sama"

"Yes," He nodded, acknowledging her apology "Now listen to what I have to say. No body, least of all me, is denying Naruto's contributions to this village. He is one of the best shinobi that Konoha has ever produced and even a better person, but the fact of it remains: He's been gone. He hasn't returned to Konoha since the end of the war. Don't give me that look Sakura, I understand why he had to leave, but you have to see things from an unbiased perspective. He's gone and you remain"

"So, I'm the next best option?" Her voice held a trace of bitterness

"Sakura-" She shook her head cutting her sensie off "Sorry, that was uncalled for. I still donot understand why you can't remain Hokage till he returns"

"You know as well as I do that my role as Kage was meant to be only a temporary one. All the other nations now have Kage's from the next generation and they're getting antsy, I can't wait for Naruto forever. You are also one of the best that Konoha has, and frankly speaking, in light of everything that you've done for the village over the past few years, even if Naruto was to show up now, he would still face quite a bit of competition from you"

"I…I never did any of this to become kage, I did it for Naruto. I'm not a leader, I can't be a kage."

"Take some time to think about it Sakura. Don't underestimate yourself, you've got what it takes to be a leader, trust me on that. You're a good shinobi, Sakura, but believe me when I say this"

A pause "Say what?"

"You could easily become one of the greatest. You're dismissed."

Xxxxxxx

Three days later, against her better judgment, Sakura accepted. She was initiated a week later. Robe, hat and all.

" _It's only till Naruto and Sasuke kun get back"_ She told herself firmly.

But, what the young woman did not know was that the thing about having power is that very few people are able to relinquish it.

Xxx

Naruto and Sasuke had begun their travels separately for despite fighting together during the war there was still bitterness between the two. Not that either of them would ever voice it, not Naruto because he was set on believing that the end of the war meant that everything was perfect again and Sasuke because he was….Sasuke.

Around 3 years after _the war_ , sitting in a bar, Naruto admitted to himself that he was mad, _angry, furious, pissed off,_ at Sasuke for leaving in the first place. For not confiding in him and for a million other things.

It was around the same time that Sasuke admitted to himself that he was relieved, _happy, glad_ that Naruto had never given up on him, that they were brothers and most of all that Naruto, too lost his arm during the war.

They both had their arms back, of course, but it would have been humiliating had he been the only one that lost a body part.

It was shortly after these revelations that the two happened to cross paths. Both were on their way back to the village but this chance meeting occurred. Add a group of mysterious shinobi and chaos ensued. In the end both of them decided to travel with the Homonoki tribe to a remote island, overseas, and a 6 year delay in their return to the village occurred.

Both boys, because despite everything that had happened, they were still boys, _not men_ repaired their relationship and 9 years after the end of the war were bonded more tightly than ever. The goal to become hokage never once left their minds and it was all that each thought about on their journey home. Little did they know, they would be in for a very big surprise.

Xxx

"Konoha's such a great place around this time of the year especially. Idate and I are considering moving there once little Amane is born" A voice floated towards them.

"That kage of theirs has done an amazing job" The second voice chimed in.

Once the women were out of earshot, the blond shot his companion a grin "Hear that, Kakashi sensie is doing a great job in my place!"

Sasuke simply smirked, shaking his head at the last statement, before a thoughtful look crossed his face

"Do…do you think it'll be okay…with Sakura?" He voiced his concerns albeit a bit hesitantly

Naruto's grin grew wider at this "Of course it will. She's our Sakura chan! She's always been the steady one in our group."

In a little over two hours, Naruto Uzumaki would find out how wrong his nonchalant statement was.

Xxx

 **A/N :** I JUST WATCHED shippuden episode 372 and idk this just came to me and here's the first chapter..I haven't written anything in years now omg its been long! Anyway, I'm not sure where I'm going with this, the first chapter just came to me, I'll update the story once I have a proper outline. Leave me a review! ALSOOO Ideas are welcome and if anyone is willing to beta pls inbox me. Hugs :D


	2. Chapter 2

Konoha was flourishing. The economy was thriving, the crime rates were low, living standards high and best of all, the citizen to ninja ratio was 3:1, as opposed to the appalling figure that had emerged after the war (Eight citizens for every one ninja). The mission casualty rates were the lowest they had been in the history of Konohagakure and the village was on excellent terms with all its surrounding villages. It was a very peaceful period, indeed.

Konoha was flourishing and so was Sakura. As nanadaime Hokage, Sakura had adopted a very democratic approach to running the village, working closely with her Jonin council, forming a citizen council and trying to give every community within the village a fair voice. Given that the jonin council consisted mainly of people that she had known all her life, it was an easy enough task to accomplish. The citizens however, were a completely different story, but she managed to keep everyone satisfied to say the least. Being the disciple of Tsunade showed its fruits once more when Sakura was always able to keep up with her paperwork, despite her schedule.

Sakura was also more than a figurehead, she remained a functional shinobi as well. Appointing Nara Shikamaru as her substitute, she often took missions and travelled beyond the borders of Konoha and worked regularly at the hospital, helping out where she could. She refused to be limited to sitting behind a desk when there was a lot more she could accomplish elsewhere.

Just four years ago, had someone asked her how she thought her life would turn out to be, she probably wouldn't have even imagined this scenario. But then, life gave her a chance, and she went from good to _**great.**_

All in all, nine years after the war, Haruno Sakura was _very_ satisfied with her achievements.

Xxx

The seventh face on the infamous Hokage Mountain confirmed the news that the two Konoha nin had overheard on their way back.

"Sakura, huh?" Sasuke muttered "Who knew it would turn out like this?"

"Yeah" Naruto still seemed dazed as they walked towards the entrance, deciding to forgo a dramatic entrance. The chunin at the gate were noticeably surprised by the appearance of the two war heroes that disappeared nearly a decade ago but were quick to follow procedure before escorting the two towards the Hokage's office.

Both men had wonder etched on their faces as they took in their surroundings, this Konoha was nothing like the war torn one that they had left behind. Lost in memories, they continued on.

"What's this?" They both came crashing back to reality when Hyuuga Hinata made an appearance. She was standing tall and proud clad in standard Jonin gear with her beautiful hair up in a pony. Besides her stood An orange haired girl of fifteen, perhaps sixteen. She eyed the men with distaste taking in their shabby condition and wondering who they could possibly be. They had just returned from a mission and it was the first time that Hinata sama had broken protocol and not headed directly to Sakura sensie to give in their report. It took all of ten seconds for it to click and when it did, she couldn't stop but gasp into the slightly awkward atmosphere, interrupting the chunin who was trying to explain the situation to Hinata.

"OH! You're Uzumaki kun and Uchiha kun" She let out giddily "I can't believe I'm finally meeting you both! Well, we met during the war but I was like seven years old back then so you guys probably don't-"

"Maya, now is not the time for this" Hinata cut her off, smiling slightly "Go on ahead and inform the Hokage of the situation, I'll escort these two to the tower"

She dismissed the chunin with a wave of her hand. Only once the two chunin and the girl named Maya was out of sight did she speak again.

"It's good to see you both again, I wasn't entirely sure I would"

The blunt statement caused Naruto to break out of his reverie and protest "Why would you say that Hinata chan?! I did promise everyone I'd come back, as did Sasuke!"

Hinata lightly shook her head "It's been nine years since then, you can't really blame us for having doubts Naruto kun"

They resumed their leisurely pace, towards their destination, silence overcoming them and then

"Sakura's hokage now. How'd that happen?"

Hinata turned towards the Uchiha and laughed "Blunt as ever, I see. She was initiated a little over four years ago. Let me assure you both, it was no easy task convincing her to take the post. She was so convinced that only you deserved the title Naruto kun, I was half afraid that she'd lead a mutiny against Kakashi senpai"

Unknown to Hinata, her words caused the clenching feeling inside Naruto's gut to relax marginally. He wasn't sure what events had happened exactly but hearing that Sakura still had his back put his mind to rest. Upon reaching the tower, with a promise of reuniting the konoha twelve, Hinata parted leaving both boys at the gate with the Hokage's Anbu.

"Sakura Sama is busy at the moment, please take a seat, you'll be called in shortly." A voice informed them.

Sighing and slightly glaring at the masked men, they grudgingly did what they were told to do.

Xxx

After being informed of the news that Maya had brought her, Sakura wanted nothing more than to cancel the meeting with the Fire Damiyo's son, giving her at least twenty minutes to prepare for the oncoming events. But as it was, it was an important meeting regarding the trade barriers between Konoha and the land of Tea

The damiyo raised some objections to the presence of the two teenagers in the room which Sakura quickly shot down. Maya and Kyo were her disciples and they both deserved the same respect that she did. Also, they made up for her lack of attention. After an agonizing fifty minutes, the feudal lords son was finally satisfied. After the quick formal goodbye's she had the anbu escort him on his way. No sooner had the door closed that she put her head on the desk and let out a muffled scream.

"He _is_ rather annoying" Kyo commented, nodding his head.

"Tell me about it" The hokage grumbled, all the previous aloofness melting away "Maya, go bring in the next headache"

"Don't you mean your teammate and the love of youuuuuu-"

"DONOT test me, you brat" Sakura barked cutting Kyo off with a threatening glare, which he laughed off.

Sasuke and Naruto walked in just as Sakura was flipping Kyo off.

"Nice to see that you haven't changed one bit, Sakura Chan" Naruto grinned at the sight.

Sakura blushed, pulling at her hair. "Naruto, Sasuke! Good to see you again. These are my students, Kyo and Maya and as soon as they leave we'll discuss your situation"

The two students in question rolled their eyes and after quick enthusiastic greetings, left the room.

"Take a seat, please." She gestured towards the seats before her "This isn't how things ordinarily work, just so you both know, but I'm willing to make an exception for both of you. Catch me up on what the two of you have been upto since you left. I wasn't aware you were travelling together!"

Xxx

Sasuke couldn't help but feel shocked as he took in his childhood teammate. The physical changes that had occurred certainly made her pleasant to look at but it was the shift in her personality that had left him feeling slightly speechless.

The end of the war had earned his respect for her and he had felt then that he truly had gotten to know her. And he liked what he found. She was a fearless soldier, much like Naruto sans the tailed beast. And so, on his way home he had prepared himself for a confrontation similar to the one that had occurred between Naruto and him when they met again. Yet, here she was sitting as composed as ever, idle curiosity and interest present in her voice as she questioned him on his travels. He answered quickly, being as descriptive as he felt comfortable. A feeling of relief overtook him when she finally moved on to Naruto.

The three sat in the office for a little over an hour, Sakura filling them both in over the events that had occurred since their departure and every now and then a pang hit him and he couldn't help but feel that he had _abandoned_ Sakura, which was weird to say the least, given that they had just reached an understanding at the end of the war.

After her story came to a close, Sasuke expected her to inform them of their housing arrangements and hopefully declare a field promotion, making them Jonin as well after which the three of them would go and have ramen at Ichiraku with Kakashi.

Again, his expectations turned out to be wrong when she smiled apologetically at the two and said

"You guys didn't really give me much notice so you'll have to stay with me for tonight. I need to discuss this with both the councils and Sai and then I'll get back to you after we've reached a decision."

Sasuke blinked "What exactly is there to discuss" The incredulity in his voice was apparent even to his own years

"Well..both of you have been out of the village for nine years… there's a protocol for these things!" She exclaimed

"But, Sakura chan, we had Kakashi sensies permission and everything" Naruto interjected

"That you did" She nodded "But there were conditions involved. For one thing both of you had to send in monthly reports but no one has heard from you in over 5 years! The citizen council is going to be concerned about where your loyalties truly lie. If you were ordinary ninja, you'd be imprisoned!" She cut off Naruto's incoming retort with a shake of her head "Look, it's just protocol. You'll be reinstated as Konoha nin in no time. An interrogation, a psyche evaluation or two and you're good to go!"

"Since when does Konoha have a citizen council?" Sasuke asked sharply "And why did you mention Sai separately?"

"Sai runs the anbu root-"

"WAIT! There's still an anbu root?!" Naruto exclaimed angrily "How could you- I mean after everything that Danzo did, he was a sick asshole, how are you okay-"

"Uzumaki Naruto" Sakura cut him off harshly "If you still think yourself to be a leaf ninja, you'd do well to remember that I am your Hokage now. I will NOT tolerate anyone speaking to me like this, not even you."

Her words caused a silence to overcome the room. It lasted for three minutes exactly before a knock on the door interrupted them.

"Enter"

"Hokage Sama" Shikamaru bowed slightly before raising his head and giving the other two occupants a nod.

"Escort Sasuke kun and Naruto kun to their rooms and then gather all the council members and assemble in the town hall. I will meet you all there in exactly fortyfive minutes to discuss this situation."

"Hai" Shikamaru gestured towards the other two "Come on you both"

Only when she felt all three chakra's leave the building did Sakura collapse in her chair. " _How on earth am I supposed to handle this?"_ She thought to herself feeling a deep ache inside her heart.

Xxx

A/N: A biiiiiiiiiiiiiiig thankyou to all my five reviewers :p I love you guys!


	3. Chapter 3

Forty two hours and sixteen minutes had passed since the last time Sakura had slept and she could feel the beginnings of a headache starting to build up as she helplessly listened to the ten different voices speaking all at once.

" _Dictator."_ She thought to herself " _I should have become a mad dictator and I should have killed off all these damn citizens. I should have killed off everyone-"_

A loud noise brought her back to reality and with a blink of surprise she realized that the desk in front of her had a rather nasty dent. A dent, she figured, was a fair price for the silence that had fallen over the room.

"Oh good, I finally get my turn to speak." She bit out, glaring at the occupants. "I realize that under my leadership, things have been different. I've done my best to give each and every community in this village an equal voice on all matters. However, the fact remains that Konoha is a SHINOBI village and I'm still the kage. Do you know what that means? Shikamaru, I think it's about time you explain to this honorable merchant here exactly what it means"

Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably before answering, "It means that while Hokage sama generally takes your views into consideration and often lets the council have its way, she still has veto power. Her word is law"

"She wouldn't even be considering this course of action if those two weren't her teammates! She's clearly biased." Shin, the honorable merchant in question spat out

"Unless you want your trading rights rescinded, I suggest you adopt a much more respectful ton, merchant san" Sakura interjected "Let me be very clear on this. Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto are war heroes. Their prolonged absence does not eradicate the role that they played in ending what potentially could have been the biggest war in our history. Now, I'm very much aware of Uchiha sans transgression before the war, but Naruto has been nothing but an upstanding citizen his entire life. Its been nine years, not ninety. Donot disregard everything they've done for you"

"Ofcourse, Sakura sama" another citizen spoke up "Shin is being irrational, the rest of us are more than willing to agree to whatever you have to say"

The twelve other citizens nodded respectfully, causing Sakura to release a relieved breath. She gestured to Sai, who then gave out the final verdict.

"Naruto kun and Sasuke kun will be reinstated as Konoha nin with the Chunin rank instead of the Genin rank that they were at when they left the village. Their promotion to Jonin however, cannot take place till atleast until three years after they have been reinstated. They will undergo a psyche evaluation with a trained Yamanaka and then they'll attend sessions with a psychiatrist until they are declared mentally sound."

"They will also be subjected to a hundred and fifty hours of D rank missions. In the meanwhile, Sai and I will take an anbu unit and retrace their steps to make sure that their stories match" Inuzuka Kiba finished Sai's verdict with a solemn nod

A quick command from the Hokage cleared the room within five minutes.

Xxx

Naruto was feeling unbelievably restless. He absolutely couldn't bring himself to sit still for more than two seconds. Now given that this wasn't exactly unusual behavior for the energetic blond, Sasuke hadn't given it much thought until the sound of shattering glass caused him to stare at the idiot that wouldn't leave him alone in shock.

Naruto let the shards fall into a nearby dustbin and cleaned his hands before speaking.

"Am I a bad person for hating the fact that Sakura's hokage?" He asked, bitterness lacing his voice

"Oh yeah, the worst." Sasuke nodded agreeably

"Dammit teme, I liked you better when your sense of humor didn't exist"

"I'm a hundred percent serious dobe. You're worse than the guy that tried to sell off his daughter's kidney-"

"What's this I hear about illegal organ selling?" Sakura's voice interrupted them

Sasuke turned to look at her and was shocked at how tired she looked. Her hair was haphazard and her clothes wrinkly. Yet she walked towards them with a small but sincere smile on her face.

"Nothing at all Sakura chan, just Sasuke being a jerk, but not like that's news right?" Naruto grumbled, shooting him a glare. Sasuke wisely decided to drop the previous topic of conversation and bring up a new one.

"So what's the verdict, Hokage Sama" The last two words felt strange in his mouth and he realized with a jolt that he too, was displeased by the unexpected events that had taken place in his absence.

If Sakura felt the weird tension that followed his question, she ignored it, and answered casually

"You guys will be reinstated as Konoha nin next week!" She smiled again, "We'll have a huge celebration because if the return of two lost war heroes isn't cause for celebration then I don't know what is! You'll be chunin rank. We'll make the arrangements for your welcome home party just as soon as you two are declared mentally sound!"

"Ne Sakura chan, that's not-"

"I'm really sorry that I'm cutting you off Naruto, but I'm exhausted and I need sleep. I've summoned Maya, you met her the other day and she'll be here first thing in the morning and explain all the details to you! I hope you like your rooms, goodnight!"

Sakura was out the room before she got the last word out, leaving Naruto to at the spot she was standing in with a mixture of emotions.

Xxx

Yamanaka Maya was feeling absolutely ecstatic. It was shaping up to be a very good day indeed. First Sakura sama had chosen her and _not Kyo_ to deal with her teammates which had automatically earned her four points putting her on the same footing as Kyo. They were both competitive, extremely competitive and the apprenticeship with Sakura sama was the biggest competition ever. She pumped her fist in the year knowing that she had brought it to a draw.

The second good thing that happened to her was that she found the diamond necklace that her super rich ex boyfriend had given her. She'd tossed it away in a fit of rage and only later had she realized how valuable it was. Finding it meant that she could sell it and not do missions for atleast six months. She'd focus all her time on completing the jutsu and then she'd be way way waay ahead of Kyo.

And then, to make her morning even better, she got to watch two of the worlds strongest fighters spar like there was no tomorrow. The cherry on top of all this was that they were both _shirtless._

After they called an end to their spar she bounded over cheerfully and offered to make breakfast while they showered and then set off to make pancakes, eggs and French toast. In midst of breakfast she read of the list that Sakura sensie had given her. She was disappointed when neither ninja reacted visibly especially since she'd heard from Konahamaru kun that Naruto was a bit of a drama queen. She put her hand on her hip and muttered

"You guys could be a _little_ excited you know! You'll be konoha nin again, how cool is that?! Not many in your situation would be given that opportunity!"

"In our situation? What exactly is our situation?" Sasuke asked calmly

She hesitated, but then went on, "Well, you basically deserted your village when it needed you the most!"

"Deserted?! We saved this village _and_ this world, little brat" Naruto exclaimed loudly, "Needing a little time after everything we'd been through wasn't the same as deserting"

"A little time is a year max, not nine years. This village was in shambles and it was only because of leaders like Sakura sama, Kakashi sama and Shikamaru sensie that we're still here!"

"Obviously I can't expect you to understand, you're just a kid." Naruto shook his head angrily "Nine years is nothing compared to everything I've gone through to keep this village safe and had I heard about even the slightest of trouble I would have come to the village's aid in a heartbeat! So don't give me any of that crap-"

"Maybe I don't understand. Call me naïve, call me stupid, I really don't care; I'm just calling it as I see it. While Sakura sama might not agree, that is what the majority of the villagers think so too. So you really should consider yourself lucky that you're being reinstated at ALL!" Maya knew that she was red in the by then.

Before Naruto could retort, or, and it was feeling more and more likely that it would come down to this, punch her, Sasuke cut in "Sakura, hope you had a good night's rest."

Maya froze, suddenly feeling the weight of her mentors stare on her back. A quick command from the person standing behind her caused her to whirl around in a flash.

"That was so incredibly disrespectful that I don't even have the words to describe how disappointed I am" Sakura said coolly.

"Hokage sama-"

"Cut the crap Maya. I trusted you with this job and what do you do? You talk back to someone who's served this village more than you could even hope to in two, maybe even three lifetimes. I'm assigning you a hundred hours of D rank missions and your apprenticeship is suspended till Naruto here gives the okay"

And just like that, all of Maya's happiness vanished and her heart sank so low, she was surprised that she was still breathing.

Xxx

A/N: And here's chapter three Thanks to everyone that reviewed and all

Also I realized I haven't put in a disclaimer….

So,here it goes

I don't own Naruto.

Reviews will make my day. So. Review. Thanks loveliess

Ohh and a reviewer asked me about the pairings here, and tbh, I actually have no idea. I know how this story's gonna end but the middle part im still working on. There will be no Naruhina, but I'm toying with the idea of pairing Sakura with someone. Sasuke? Gaara? Random guy we've never heard of before? Who knows:p


	4. Chapter 4

Sakura shook her head trying to clear her clouded vision. She had now been awake for seventy two hours and the stress of the whole ordeal was getting to her. At twenty two, she had accepted the mantle of Hokage, not fully realizing that the responsibilities that came with the title could be excruciatingly difficult. She vaguely wondered what in the world the previous generation was thinking, making it legal for a twenty two year old to even be _nominated_ for such a position. But then again, she mused, she had officially become a ninja at twelve so a young kage seemed reasonable enough.

Breaking out of a daydream where kids graduated at eighteen and only people above thirty were eligible for the higher positions, she turned towards her two students, both uncharacteristically silent as they filed her papers.

"I assume you both think that I'm being horribly unfair to Maya?" She questioned

A moment of silence passed before Kyo spoke up,

"Unfair?! You're being downright cruel, sensie! I didn't realize that freedom of speech wasn't a thing in Konoha anymore-"

"Kyo shutup" Maya cut him off, frantically. "I really am sorry Sakura sensie, I was out of line, but still…"

"You both need to understand that I'm a kage first and _then_ your teacher. I know this might seem a bit unfair, given that I became your teacher long before I was made leader, but it's true. Naruto and Sasuke… They're war heroes. You guys might not remember but most of this village remembers each and every thing that the two have done for, and in Sasuke's case, against this village. I couldn't let you disrespect him like that."

Abashed by the sense of authority and wisdom in her voice, the two nodded.

"I'll apologize to Naruto kun right away!" Maya exclaimed, "I'll pester him till he forgives me"

"That won't take long seeing how utterly annoying you are.."

"Kyo! Damn you!"

Sakura smiled, as their voices filled the room. She had never been so glad that she'd decided to take the two under her wing six years ago. Maya, the feisty Yamanaka that refused to use, no, even learn her clan techniques making her quite the anomaly and Kyo, one of the many refuge children who'd been misplaced after the war. His family was originally from Iwa, and all but his sister and him had perished during the war. Somehow both of them ended up at Konoha and in the confusion of the aftermath never found their way home. Not that either was complaining.

Kyo had found a kinship with Maya and he was pretty much a genjutsu genius, soaking up every single thing Sakura taught him while his elder sister, Keiko, was one of the best jounin that Konoha had to offer.

"Hokage Sama?" A voice broke her out of her thoughts. Looking up, she grinned at the familiar face and shooed her two brats away.

"Ino chaan" She drew out the suffix "How can I be of service?"

Ino huffed, all the previous formality melting away as she threw herself on the couch "You haven't even spoken to me _once_ since your old teammates came back. Am I really that replaceable?!"

"Such a dramaqueen" Sakura rolled her eyes at her friend's antics. "I've been busy! Arranging huge welcome ceremonies and what not. Everyone that knows the two is to be invited, and since pretty much everyone knows them, it's a whole lot of people!"

"Fine, I'll let that one go. But what about the fact that I, the prestigious head of the renowned Yamanaka clan was not allowed to conduct the mental health evaluation?!"

"Ino, you had a personal relationship with both of them-"

"Personal? With Sasuke? Only in my dreams!"

"You know what I mean! The council thought that you might be biased in their favor and voted against it. Now unless you want a mutiny against me, there's not a lot that I can do."

"You sure have the answers for everything. Fine. I'll forgive you for your transgressions" Ino waved her hand dramatically, "Now, let's talk about you. How're you dealing?"

"Ino, I think we've talked about this already, your mind reading skills _donot_ make you a bloody psychiatrist"

"Bloody? What are you, a tea country native?"

"I'll have-"

"Sakura! Focus! I'm asking as your friend. Stop evading and spill"

Sakura sighed, silent for a minute as she tried to formulate words to explain what it was that she was feeling. A few seconds later, Ino's patience ended and she proceeded to fill the silence with her own feelings;

"Personally, I'm glad that they're both back. It takes a huge weight off my shoulders! I was half convinced that the two had hit their heads on a rock or something. You have to admit, it was a plausible theory, especially knowing _Naruto"_ She paused for a millisecond before going on "Ofcourse, it has made things a bit awkward. I overheard some villagers talking about how you would abdicate your position in favor of Naruto, who would then appoint Sasuke and replace Sai. I put them in their place immediately. What a ridiculous notion, right?!"

"I wouldn't exactly call it ridiculous." Sakura responded dryly

"Haruno Sakura! You _cannot_ seriously be considering making Naruto hokage! He doesn't even have any formal training for Kami's sake! No matter how much people like him, he'd be pretty damn incompetent!"

"Don't talk about him like that!" The pinkette said vehemently. Looking at the blonde's shocked expression; she softened her expression before continuing. "Look. I don't exactly know how I feel about this impromptu team seven reunion, hell, I haven't even spoken to Kakashi about it yet. I'm glad they're back but.. I don't know, I sort of feel like I've betrayed them. I mean this was what Naruto wanted from before he could even walk"

"Despite what people think, I'm not the wisest of them all and this situation has me stumped" Ino laughed "But I'll tell you one thing. You're a damn good kage and I know that you'll figure this out. We all do."

Xxx

A psyche evaluation, it turned out, was even less fun than it originally sounded. Naruto's pounding head was a testament to that statement. He quickly decided that he was going to outlaw each and every Yamanaka in the village if he ever became hokage. His angry thoughts quickly took a downward spin, darkening his mood even further has he contemplated what he'd just decided.

When did it go from _when_ he became Hokage to _if_ he became Hokage? Naruto had been certain of one and only one thing since he was six years old and that was that he would be Hokage again. Everything but his goal was variable and now these self-doubting thoughts had left him feeling quite conflicted.

With a sigh he headed towards the apartment that Sakura had allocated to him. It wasn't exactly the slums but it didn't compare to the luxury he'd imagined himself being showered in upon his return to Konoha. Conveniently, Sasuke lived right next door, so at least there was that. As he reached Sasuke's front door, he found it ajar. Sensing four chakra signals, he walked in just in time to hear the last part of what Sakura was saying.

"…So right before I begin the ceremony, you have to ask me for a moment to speak and then proceed with your public apology and make it very clear that you regret everything that you've done in the past to harm the village!"

"Public apology?!" Naruto interrupted, "You think Sasuke's gonna apologize in public? That's rich! But- wait, what does he have to apologize for?"

"As Hokage sama has already explained to Uchiha kun, it has to do with the whole defecting to Sound thing." A feminine voice answered

Naruto started, realizing that two of his childhood peers, Tenten and Lee were present in the room. He grinned widely at them.

"That was so long ago Sakura chaan! Don't make Sasuke teme go through the humiliation!"

"Naruto kun, I donot believe that it is appropriate for you to address the Hokage so informally in a crowd!" Lee cried out, obviously shocked at Naruto's casual attitude

"But-"

"Enough" Sakura held a hand up, "Sasuke, you donot have a choice in this matter; If you don't do this, you might face up till a year of imprisonment and then further probation. You'd be let off with this apology because your war efforts honestly change a lot of mindsets around here! But the people still have to know that you regret it."

"I don't regret a single thing I did"

And for a second, Naruto was so strongly reminded of the Sasuke from before the war that he couldn't form a single word. Sakura, however, wasn't having the same issue as she said sharply;

"I never said that you had to mean it, Uchiha. You are going to go through with this, donot test my limits. I have absolutely no problem with throwing your ass in prison but I'm giving you this chance. Go through with it or else you'll find out how much of a hardass I can be."

And with that, Sakura Haruno got the last word without even flinching. Naruto could only gape in silence as the three ninja walked out. A few seconds later, there was a small dent in the wall and Sasuke too disappeared.

Xxx

A/N: Wow, I thought I was destined to get only five reviews per chapter but I got six last time, so yay! Thanks guys. Especially you, my anonymous boop, for leaving the longest review I've gotten yet. Much love!


	5. Chapter 5

The ceremony was extravagant, the feats afterwards splendid, nothing less than what was expected of the prestigious Konohagakure. The two war heroes were welcomed back with great gusto. People from around the globe were present to witness this moment which was bound to be historical and just like that, Naruto and Sasuke were once again ninja's of the village hidden in the leaves.

Not everyone present was pleased with the outcome of events, the reinstatement automatically gave Konoha an edge over the other villages and none of the politicians present wanted that, not even in the current peaceful times and many were disgruntled about the fact that the Hokage had chosen to keep the return of possibly the two strongest warriors on earth a secret until the very last minute. It left them blindsided and with the ongoing festivities left them no chance to protest the Hokage's actions, particularly the one's concerning the young Uchiha.

The leaders of the villages sat in a tense silence listening to Sasuke Uchiha speak. If one didn't know him, the apology would have come off as slightly stilted and indifferent but given that most people did know him-from before, anyway- it was a shock to see the stoic young man speak almost…passionately.

" _If I didn't hate the son of a bitch so much, I might've actually bought his apology"_ A, who was now serving as an advisor to Darui , the Godaime Raikage, thought to himself, feeling a mix of bitterness and surprise shoot through him. He was pleased to see his successor's eyes were sharp, clearly on the alert.

As for Sasuke, the four minutes and twenty seconds that he spoke from his place next to Sakura seemed excruciatingly long. The minute he sat down, he felt a mix of relief and resentment. As the crowd erupted into cheers, he realized with a jolt that Sakura's play worked. It really seemed like he had the public on his side if their words were anything to go by on.

Sasuke might have been absent from civilization in the recent past but he wasn't stupid and he recognized Sakura's brilliant move the second he saw that all the other Kage's surprise. He was shocked by the unwilling admiration that he was feeling for his teammate. He didn't have time to ponder the thought too deeply as Sakura whisked away both him and Naruto and began introducing to the people around them, some he recognized but mostly not.

An hour later, the only name that he recalled was that of the representative of Sound who embraced him, ignoring his disgust, and thanked him profusely for killing Orochimaru. Sasuke was nothing but adept at etching awkward memories in his brain.

Xxx

"Well, that went fairly well." Sakura mused out loud before turning towards her teammates and asking, "Did the two of you find it satisfactory?"

"Yeah, Sakura chan, everything was great!" Naruto said. He looked the happiest that Sakura had seen him since his return. Clearly having thousands of people cheer his name broke him out of the daze he'd been in since his return.

It was the day after the ceremony and the three shinobi sat on Sakura's rooftop. There was a sense of ease between them that hadn't been present before the war. Both boys seemed marginally more relaxed around her, for some reason and it made Sakura happy.

Sakura was just starting to think that life could return to a semblance of normality and that maybe just _maybe_ she could avoid conflict with Naruto over the not-yet-spoken about Hokage issue when an anbu appeared next to her, conveying a message that made her heart feel heavy.

" _Dammit, I guess it's unavoidable.."_

Sasuke, noting the change in the atmosphere, asked "What is it?"

"The other Kage's have asked for a summit." She said unhappily, "I don't have much choice but to attend. I guess it was inevitable once your return was made public but I miscalculated how quickly they would react."

"Why would our return warrant a summit?" Sasuke asked, a bit confused. "Konoha's business is Konoha's."

"Not when it affects the security of the other villages Sasuke-"

"Affects the security? We're not a threat! We ended the war, remember?" Naruto cut in sharply, his features tense, once again.

"That's not what this is about Naruto. You two are two of the strongest ninja's out there and having you back within our ranks makes the other villages a little nervous. This summit is a good sign actually. It means that the other villages want to talk about it, rather than conspiring behind our backs."

"So what do you think will happen?"

"They'll most probably want me to place you in the silver corps."

"Silver corps?"

"The silver corps is a foundation made up of shinobi and politicians from all over the world. They're sort of like a peacekeeping entity. It's their job to make sure that the Peace Accords that the village's signed after the end of the war are upheld. They're situated north of Konoha."

"Sakura chan, we can't leave Konoha, we just got back!" Naruto protested, "I can't become Hokage if I'm away from Konoha!"

Sasuke kept his eyes on Sakura as he waited for her to respond to Naruto.

" _This could get ugly"_ He thought, watching the usually composed female looking more and more uncomfortable by the second. She took a deep breath before speaking,

"Of course I'm not just going to hand over an asset as big as you guys without a fight!" She answered, "Don't worry Naruto, we'll work something out"

Feeling annoyed at her deliberate dismissal of the last part of Naruto's statement, Sasuke said sharply,

"Is that all we are to you now? Assets?"

Sakura stared at him, her expression mildly shocked, "No, of course not! You guys have been my teammates since I was twelve, you're very important to me obviously"

"It's not that obvious from where I'm standing"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Why are you Hokage, Sakura?" At Sakura's silence, Sasuke continued. "We've been teammates since we were twelve and you've known since then that it was Naruto's life goal to become Hokage. So explain to me how you could take up the mantle of Hokage and not realize that you were pretty much backstabbed your _teammate."_

Even Naruto looked taken aback by the vehemence in Sasuke's voice but he did nothing to interrupt his tirade, for once choosing to take the back seat in the confrontation.

"Not once have you even apologized to Naruto! Not once! Not only that after everything the village has done to my family, you ordered me to _ask for the village's forgiveness!.._ "

The blond watched the scene unfurl with consternation, but following Kurama's advice, stayed silent waiting for Sakura to either burst into tears or lose her temper. The young hokage, however surveyed Sasuke coolly, waiting a full ten seconds after the end of his speech before speaking,

"Sasuke," She began in a measured voice, "I became Hokage because the two of you were absent from the village for an absurdly long time. Kakashi waited for as long as he could but he needed to name his successor and he named me. And guess what? I'm damn good at my job! I handled the village while the two of you were gallivanting all over the world doing God knows what.."

Naruto felt shame shoot through him as Sakura rebutted each and every point that Sasuke had made, and he couldn't help but rethink his decisions. Had he actually deserted Konoha? After a few minutes of pointless deliberation, he tuned back into what Sakura was saying.

"You both would do well to remember that I'm the Hokage and I don't owe anyone justifications." She said coldly, "The only reason that I'm indulging you is because you were my friends. It's clear to me now that we clearly don't know each other at all now but we share a past and that means something to me."

With that, she left the two with their thoughts.

Xxx

At the Kage Summit it was decided that Naruto and Sasuke would serve in the Silver Corps but continue to reside in Konoha. Sakura made it clear that the two were first and foremost loyal to Konoha but it wouldn't hinder their work with the corps as Konoha followed the Peace Time agreement like a devout Nuddhist followed Buddha. A bit put out with the way things turned out, but helpless in the face of Sakura's promise, the other Kage's had no choice to agree. Kakashi was once again amazed at how brilliantly Sakura played the game of politics.

He was also amazed at how well she was handling the return of her two teammates. He himself hadn't worked up the courage to actually face them. He told himself he was giving his students time to settle in but a part of him knew that he was being a coward.

As the summit came to an end, he watched as the young Kazekage made his way to Sakura.

"You're not going to tell me that I'm a bitch for stealing Naruto's dream, are you?" She asked, before Gaara could speak.

"You stole the words right out of my mouth." Gaara glared at her

Sakura stared at her longtime comrade in disbelief. "After everything-"

"Sakura, I know that I'm not exactly known for it, but I can joke too." Gaara cut her off, smirking.

"That was NOT funny!" Sakura gasped, "Not after the week I've had. It was bad enough that Sasuke had to go and completely humiliate me, but the very next day, Shino came into my office and told me that he thought Naruto should be Kage too! Shino! I can't lose the Aburame clan's backing. Some of the smaller clanheads of Konoha are backing Shino up and everyone that hates me is going to rally around Naruto once word gets out that he want to be Kagwe! What if a civil war breaks over this?! God what am I supposed to do?"

"Sasuke did _what?"_ Gaara growled

"KAMI, that is SO not the point!"

"Sakura, I know you'll figure it out. Naruto's my kin but I've seen you govern for the past five years. You've done good and whatever decision you take, you have my support. You've always had my back and now I'll have yours."

Sakura, instead of looking relieved, looked even more distressed as she muttered, "What is wrong with all the monotone men in my life? They had to choose now to speak up..."

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